The Last Stand (The Eleven Years War: Book One)
Chapter Fifty-One

Silas and Kael ran through the twistinglabyrinth of back alleys, heading for Castle Matisse. Silas felt absolutelysick; it seemed like everyone around him was dying. Eza and Olrick haddisappeared after the Giskens took the outer wall, most of the men in the smallunit they’d put him in charge of were dead, he’d just learned that the Giskenshad run Mathis through with a sword while he was trying to evacuate people froma field hospital; the way things seemed to be going in the city, it was damnedlucky that he and Kael were still alive, if a little cut up.

“Whatare the odds that they’ve already gotten to the castle?” Kael asked as they ranthrough one of the main city squares. The Giskens had reached that part of thecity, judging by the fires in the buildings and the various personal belongingsthat littered the streets. Thank the gods, no enemy soldiers ran out of thebuildings to kill them.

“Verygood,” Silas said as they entered another back alley. Too good. He’d told himself a million times over on the run to thecastle that, even if they’d managed to take over the castle, they would keepMarion alive; they’d kept every other captured ruler alive, so why not her?

Thenagain, if she’d actually succeeded in her crazy plan to kill Raul, theyprobably wouldn’t feel too keen on doing that.

Finally,they reached the castle. From the second they arrived, it was apparent that theGiskens had, in fact, overrun it: the ground in front of the castle gate waslittered with the bodies of the men assigned to guard it, with only a coupleGisken ones among them. One of the bodies caught Silas’ eye: it was a youngman, wearing the gray cloak of the Watch.

Silasbegan to run faster. The Watchman was still moving.

Heknelt down beside him and rolled him onto his back, making him groan. It tookhim a few seconds to realize who it was because of how cut up he was.

“Theyhave Marion,” Olrick said through clenched teeth.

Shit.

Silasgently picked him up. “Don’t worry about that, right now. We need to get you toa doctor.” He turned around and began wading back through the bodies, beingcareful not to step on any of them.

“Idon’t suppose you know of a place that the Giskens haven’t sacked, do you?”Silas asked.

“There’sa Gisken cathedral a little ways south of here,” Kael said. “They tend to avoiddestroying their own holy sites when they invade places; it brings bad luck.”

“Dothey have some sort of doctor there?” Silas asked.

“Theywould have to,” Kael said. “Gisken cathedrals are more like your monasteries;they’re pretty self sufficient, and that means their own medical staff.”

“Leadthe way, kid.” The two of them began to head for the cathedral.

Elisesat in front of the fireplace, a bowl of soup in her hand. She didn’t know howlong she’d lain on the couch, paralyzed, but after awhile, she’d managed togather the strength to get up and walk around. She’d discovered that the cathedralwas more like a monastery; the monks and the few novices that were there livedat the cathedral, grew their own food, made their own bread, and even had theirown doctors. It was like a small village within the biggest city Elise had everbeen in.

Therewas a loud knock at the door.

Curious,Elise set down her soup and peeked out of the room at the front door. When theoraniomancer novice opened the door, she saw that Silas, carrying a woundedOlrick, and Kael were in the doorway.

“Weneed asylum and a doctor,” Silas said as he made his way through the door. Thenovice nodded as he shut the door.

“Y-yes,sir,” he said as Elise ran towards them. “Stay here; I’ll go get the abbot.”The novice ran down the hallway, where the abbot was eating dinner.

“Whathappened?” Elise asked. They sat down on the floor of the cathedral, withOlrick lying down in the middle of them. It looked like they’d tried to stophis bleeding as much as they could, but it still trickled out of a few of a fewof his wounds.

“We’regetting slaughtered out there,” Silas said bitterly. “From the sounds of it,Admiral Kylar is head of the country right now.”

Elisecould feel the blood drain from her face. “So they’ve killed Polain andMarion?”

“Marion’sbeen captured and Polain’s been run through,” Kael said. “Raul’s dead, too,which makes that Abunaki bastard Blair general of the Gisken forces.”

Eliselooked down at her feet, terrified. How could all of this happen? To think,that she’d been in Thaos, getting ale to quarry workers two months ago. It wasamazing how fast things had gone.

“Wh-whoelse is dead?” she asked. Something inside her told her that she didn’t want toknow the answer to that.

“Mathisis gone,” Silas said quietly. “Eza seems to have disappeared off the face ofthe planet, so as far as we know, the bastards got her, too.”

Elisecould feel a lump forming in her throat, but no tears came to her eyes. Shejust felt… numb. So many people were dead, just because of one man’s ambition.Milo, Papa, Polain, Mathis, maybe Eza, Olrick if his condition went any farthersouth; it was a lot to take in.

“Thatisn’t the only thing,” Silas said. “Marion signed a surrender a few minutesago.”

Elisefelt like she’d been punched in the gut. All the death and pain from the pastfew months had been in vain.

Caithahad fallen.

END OF BOOK ONE